After another long dry spell of feeling completely uninspired but nonetheless itching to create, I decided to try out Zentangling. A friend had recommended it to me as a nice meditative practice that didn’t require much thought or planning. So I got out my nice new apple green sketchbook that I bought myself a while back but had yet to use, and some pens, Googled what this ‘Zentangle’ process really entailed, and launched right in. And indeed it was meditative and nice, but I felt a bit frustrated as well if I’m honest. My abstract ‘doodles’ seemed childish and boring to me. But as I drew little intricate circles, I started to think about how this looked a bit like grains of sand, or the bigger circles like sea urchins, and the swirl ‘string’ I’d started out with reminded me of waves on a stormy sea, and a nautical theme kind of started to come to mind. I’ve been working on a story for a while now that is based on a seafaring village and a storm at sea, and the two kind of merged and I started to think maybe I could turn this zentangle into an artwork kind of based on those sorts of themes. So a big thumbs up to the Zentangling for helping with brainstorming when you don’t have any ideas, but I’m not sure I have the patience for pure Zentangling, which is meant to be purely abstract pattern and only black and white ink. I like colour too much and although I like the abstract motifs as a kind of decorative touch, I like my work to have some semblance of a story to it as well. So what started as a Zentangle ended up really not a Zentangle. In the end, I came up with this:

Sea Shanty

This was an interesting and new experience for me in many ways. It feels very different compared to my usual ‘style’ – whatever that may be. I’m not a pen & ink sort of artist usually. I have friends who are professionals in this medium, and compared to them, I feel like a rank amateur, like a little girl playing dress up with her mother’s clothes. I also tend to plan ahead before I start on a work, but this time I wasn’t planning to do anything except put down some random geometric patterns on paper. But nonetheless I’m pretty pleased with the way it turned out for a first attempt, as well as the process. I enjoyed getting to feel absorbed in creating again, something I haven’t really been able to do much lately. This reminded me I must make it more of a priority in life, and make more of an effort to try, even when I’m not feeling the Muse’s presence particularly. This seems like a good method I think for getting me into that mindset when I don’t really feel like I can, which is really useful.

If you’d like to try Zentangle, I can highly recommend it for quieting the mind and relaxing. Adult coloring books, move over! This is much better, because you are really creating something, rather than just decorating a pre-existing pattern with some colour. There is a tonne and a half of stuff out there on YouTube etc, showing you what Zentangle is, how to get started, and some examples of patterns you can use. I found watching people drawing these patterns is itself pretty hypnotic and zen. The basics of Zentangle are really kind of simple – just doodling really, with starting structure, and within bounds. Give it a go sometime!

It was Valentine’s Day a week or so ago. I am not the biggest fan of Valentine’s Day. I wasn’t a fan when I was single and I’m not a fan now that I’m married. I don’t even know how to express why. It’s not even the commercialization aspect. I don’t know, but it puts me in a cruddy mood in the best of times. Anyway, this year I was on my own and missing my husband, and really really not in the best mood. So I did the only thing that I know how to do to cheer me up – I painted.

I’d tried painting the day before, and it did not go well. All the colours went muddy, nothing came out. But the next day, things were flowing better, and I managed to do two paintings, go me. The sky painting was actually already halfway done and had been sitting in my living room halfway done for about 6 months, mocking me, guilting me about how long it’d been since I got out my paints. So I finally finished that sucker. So THERE.

The other painting I did was a smaller one inspired (in a macabre, GTFO Valentine’s Day kind of way) by the holiday. My mother said it disturbed her when I showed her. I’m not sure if that was my intention or not. I think it reflects how I was feeling this Valentine’s Day though.. a bit conflicted. It is based on the Lovers of Valdaro, a skeleton couple unearthed by archaeologists near Romeo & Juliet’s Mantua. In a way, it’s a testament to love that goes on forever, even into death. But in another way it’s two dead people in a pit – HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!😉 Anyway, I named it after a Bauhaus song because reasons. The two just were entwined in my mind immediately for some reason.

Passion of Lovers (Is for Death)

I’m still not sure about a title for this sky one. My FB friends have given me suggestions. They were all very good, but I’m still not sure. It reminds me of the colors and above-the-clouds-edness in Robot Unicorn Attack, the ’80s-Lisa-Frank-aesthetic game app, so I’m just gonna call it that for now as a placeholder till I can think of a more poetic name.

Well, it didn’t really turn into a very disciplined portrait-a-day sort of thing, because the run-up to Christmas was a bit mental and life got in the way. But I did go several more pictures, including one that wasn’t a portrait… because I needed a break from faces. So here’s the final set of images. I’m considering getting back to it and doing some more soon actually. Most of these drawings are now available as prints on my Etsy shop.

*** Oh, please note: If you’re a Bernie Sanders supporter (as I clearly am), I’m running a donation scheme on that portrait – I’m donating $10 from every sale of his portrait directly to his campaign, for as long as he’s running. Feel free to spread the word🙂 ***

Behold!

This is where I got tired of faces…

….Aaaaand then I was back in the portrait saddle.

And here’s my latest musical obsession, because it’s now tradition to end on that note. It gives me the same feel as a John Hughes ’80s film. It makes me want to watch the Breakfast Club or something. In fact, I think I might just go do that. And then maybe do some more drawing! That is how I party on a Saturday night, folks…😉

Hello again to anyone who’s still with me… As usual, life has gotten in the way. Since my soul-destroying job hunt which plunged me into a bit of a depression, life has got a bit crazy. I did finally get a job, researching creativity!!!!, but it necessitated a move to England… So my art fell by the wayside for a while, while I moved house and dealt with being in a new place and working a new job. Which is actually perfect for me, by the way… I get to do psych research on creativity, but within an art department. Dream come true!

Anyway, I’ve finally taken some inspiration from my art department work environment and I have started a project now in the run-up to Christmas to get me back into the creative saddle. I decided to give an app I installed on my Galaxy Note tablet ages ago another try and discovered that it’s actually really great for drawing. I haven’t drawn in years… so I felt rusty. But drawing on a tablet is really not that different than on paper and it has some nice features that make it superior to paper drawing, like quick erasing/clear, and better blending options. The Galaxy Note S-Pen stylus is fab – pressure sensitive and feels like you’re really using a pencil.

The first drawing I attempted was a portrait of Obama. It did not go well and will never see the light of day, unless I give it another go and it gets heaps better… But the second drawing I tried was of Bernie Sanders, which turned out much better. I hadn’t really intended to turn it into a series, but then I started thinking, I should pick up the discipline that I tried to self-impose at the start of this blog, and do some art every day. At least until Christmas. I can manage one drawing a day till Christmas, surely. So it kind of morphed into a sort of Portrait Advent Calendar – drawing a portrait a day of someone I like or admire or find inspirational (some more serious than others😉 ) until Christmas – I started a little late for it to be a true advent calendar, but you get the gist. I figure with the news being so full of stories about heinous people doing evil things, we (I) need a reminder that not all people are bad, and there are people who restore my faith in humanity. I need that especially right now as I am feeling like such a Scrooge this Christmas season! I’m lacking in merry and bright at the moment.

So far I have only done four portraits. Actually, there’s a fifth, but it’s going to be someone’s Christmas present, so I’m not sharing that one. I’ll update again once I’m done, with the complete set. But for now, here’s a teaser…

Day 1: Bernie Sanders

Day 2: Jane Goodall

Day 3: HH the Dalai Lama

Day 4: (Peter Falk as) Columbo

And because it’s becoming tradition now, I’ll share a song I listened to a lot while I was drawing as these kinds of driving instrumental electronic songs are good for getting into the flow…

I started this fine Saturday with a dark cloud over my head after being rudely awoken by my own annoying psyche very early from an awful dream where I was inhaling a bowl full of green mould (ew). As a consequence I woke up feeling queasy and grouchy. I then made the cardinal sin of reading the comments section under some posts on Facebook and was finding the cloud over my head growing bigger and blacker while I witnessed more and more people being wrong on the internet.

Fed up, I decided today was a day for art self-therapy. I’d been meaning to do some animal paintings for a while now, and had been thinking about an elephant one in particular of late. I found a picture from my giant reference folder of an elephant going doolally in a fountain or waterfall that instantly cheered me up. You can’t look at this picture without smiling. Go on, I dare you, just try.

I love listening to music while I paint – I think it helps me get into the flow better. I can get quite obsessive about my music selection and I often make myself a new playlist every time, depending on what I feel like listening to that day. But today I couldn’t be bothered, so I went for the classic fallback option – ’80s music. I pretty much love anything that came out in the ’80s so it’s pretty easy to just tune into any ’80s radio station and I’m in nostalgia heaven. Speaking of which, have you all seen the trailer for this little independent mini film homage to the ’80s – Kung Fury? It’s apparently been around on Kickstarter for a couple years now while it was being produced, but I only recently discovered it. The full film comes out for free on YouTube May 28th, and I cannot wait! It’s hilariously chockablock with every ’80s trope there ever was. Anyway, my soundtrack to this painting session was a bunch of ’80s songs, and it was a pure joy. I was as happy as this elephant with its shower.🙂

Joy

And here’s an appropriate ’80s song to go with it…

Some days, like today, just call for enjoying the simple things in life…. some good tunes and funny animal pictures and painting. Pure bliss! Hope you’re all enjoying your weekend and enjoying the simple things too🙂

I am finally (! only took 6 months or so…) starting to come out of the hazy crazy dazy days that were the entire end of last year, when I was finishing up my PhD (I’m a Dr. now!!!!!!), and I realised it had been quite some time since I updated this blog! Which is a pity, because I have actually been pretty active artistically lately. The post-PhD psychology job hunt has been difficult and unfruitful thus far, unfortunately. But to balance that disappointment, I have actually been having a bit of a boom in my art career. Who knew the so-called starving arts could be so much more lucrative than having a science PhD…? Anyway, I have had two recent commissions for paintings, and I could not have asked for nicer clients, either! One was for a painting of a pretty pink and purple bouquet of flowers (a lovely memento of the first bouquet the client ever gave his girlfriend):

The other (handed over to the client just today) was a landscape of a local Aberdeenshire landmark, the hill they call Bennachie. Both were a pleasure to paint, and I am so grateful to my clients for the opportunity🙂.

I have also given my portfolio website an overhaul – I thought it was time to bring it a bit more up to date. I intend to soon set up my own e-commerce portal on it, so that I can sell more original paintings and prints without the intermediary commission charged by Etsy etc, which should make things more affordable to potential buyers. I still have my Etsy shop, and sales there have recently started to increase again after a bit of a lull. So it’s happy times, artistically speaking🙂

These commissioned paintings have also been a nice reminder of how much I’ve missed painting, and I fully intend to get back to doing more creative and artistic work now that the PhD is behind me. So watch this space!

Here’s a lovely song that I’ve been listening to lately… I find it comforting, plus it’s pretty. Hope you enjoy it too🙂

I’ve been a bundle of nerves lately. I am due to give my first ever conference presentation in 3 short weeks at a major conference in the US. Public speaking is still (even after teaching and several presentations to the department) about my least favorite thing to do on earth, and there are likely to be a lot of really really smart people who know an awful lot about my field (much more than me!) in my audience and I’m bricking it a bit, truth be told. I’m sure it’ll be fine; it’s only 15 minutes of my life, so even if it’s terrible, it’ll be over relatively quickly, right? As my mother always says, it’ll probably be horrible, but in a completely different way than I’m expecting, so why bother worrying? And afterwards I get to go see my family, who I haven’t seen in over a year, which I am really looking forward to. But for now, the presentation is kind of looming over me like a big scary cloud. I’ve also noticed people pinning pumpkin recipes on Pinterest lately. Stop it, people! Autumn can’t be right around the corner! That means my PhD thesis submission date and viva are looming as well!

Inspired by the looming dread that will hover over me for the entirety of the rest of this year, I’m sure, I did a little drawing/watercolor the other day. It reminded me of a poem I wrote (don’t laugh!) back in my oh-so-gothic undergrad years, as a sort of dark twist on Emily Dickinson’s Hope is the thing with feathers poem. I’m an Eeyore, I am!😉

hope is the thing with feathers all right…
——————————————————

oh em,
you said once
“hope is the thing with feathers”
and i agree;
but the song it sings isn’t sweet

it’s a dirge, a death knell

and it doesn’t perch
all cute and perky with dewy eyes

it hovers and lurks
circling high in a sick sweaty sky
waiting
just waiting
for something to die.

First of all, I’d just like to announce that the winner of the 100th blog post giveaway has been chosen, and it is Nancy Robinson Mullins🙂 Congratulations, Nancy!

For this 101st post, I thought I’d share some non-painting bits of creativity that I’ve been up to, which I am quite chuffed with. The most recent was inspired by some posts I’d seen floating around Pinterest, of making lanterns out of empty food jars with some gold “leading” and glass paints. We have a new garden (more on that later in this post), which we have been decorating slowly with solar lights so that we can sit outside on nice summer evenings. But I wanted to do some candle holders or lanterns that we could string up outside as well, you know, like a little garden party for two. So I saw the idea for these faux Moroccan-style lanterns and gave it a go. I’m quite pleased with the results, although somehow I thought the patterns would be more visible when they were lit. Still nice though.

Lanterns (Unlit)

Lanterns (Lit)

I’ve also been trying out some crochet crafts. One was a sweet little flower wreath that I put together, inspired by this one from the brilliant Attic 24, to decorate a particularly blank bit of wall in our bedroom.

Flower Wreath

The other was this pony, using this gorgeous Fatty Lumpkin the Brave African Flower Pony pattern, that I gave to a friend of mine as a Christmas present. Time-consuming, but I think the result is quite nice. My friend named him Roman and apparently the ladies at a craft group she goes to tried to nick him!

Roman the Pony

Lastly, that garden I mentioned… We live in a block of flats with a communal space out in the back. It’s a concrete space that had been neglected for over a decade and had become a communal dumping ground. There was even a derelict TV set out there for ages! Starting last summer, hubby and I started work on transforming it into something akin to a garden. It was difficult work as there was no soil, it was all totally concreted over. So hubby built a bunch of raised bed boxes, and we started putting together a container garden. It’s still looking a bit rough, especially with all that hideous concrete, but it is sooo much better, and we are really enjoying watching things grow. For the longest time I was convinced I had the blackest thumb on earth, but even I have managed to grow things! There is hope for us all!😉

I should have taken pictures before we even started clearing up and building the first boxes, but unfortunately it was so embarrassingly hideous that I didn’t bother until after hubby had already done most of the hard work of clearing up most of the garbage and built the first raised beds. So trust me when I say it was much worse than this even when we started:

Garden (Before)

And now, things are going strong! We have a climbing clematis in an obelisk, a rose bush, raspberry canes, a cherry tree (attacked by aphids sadly, but getting better – but we ordered some ladybirds so those should be a happy addition soon, and will hopefully help control that problem!), strawberries, spinach, daffodils, tulips, heather, pine trees, cabbage, radishes, wild garlic, and so many more plants growing out there! We are very proud🙂

Daffies!

Garden (After 1)

Garden (After 2)

Solar Fairy Lights

Tulips

Working garden

I’m finding gardening takes a lot of creativity and planning and patience, and I think it’s teaching me new skills and new lessons about creating, so it makes a nice change to painting, as does the crafting. I like the practical nature of it too, that I produce something that doesn’t just hang on a wall somewhere, but results in food, or a lantern that is both pretty and produces light. I can recommend it🙂

I’ve had a kind of cruddy week and right now I just kind of want to hide somewhere dark and quiet, maybe under the sea. Hang out with narwhals or something, I don’t know. I just can’t face things right now, particularly PhD stuff, so I thought it might be time to take a wee break and concentrate on art a little bit instead.

I’ve neglected my shops something horrible for a while now, especially my poor Folksy shop. In fact, I was kind of considering closing it down. But I recently made a sale through the shop (yay!) and through that realised a lot of my listings were about to expire, and I figured it was time to maybe give it a little TLC instead. In the course of that, I started browsing to see what my fellow Folksy sellers had been up to, and found some really lovely finds. And then I realised it was Friday, so what better way to highlight these things than with a Folksy Friday post?

The theme is vaguely ‘From the Edge of the Deep Green Sea’ – I’ve been listening to a lot of Cure songs lately, can’t you tell?😉 And if you see something here you like amongst these lovely pieces of handcraftery, please show these sellers some love and go click on their shops, favourite them, maybe even buy a little something…?😉 Enjoy!

MTA: Apparently this is my 100th blog post! To celebrate, I’ve decided to do a little giveaway for my subscribers. Subscribe to get updates from this blog, and I will choose a random subscriber from a hat next Friday (May 9th), who can choose a favourite print for free.🙂

I woke up this morning feeling rather nostalgic for the days when I actually had a signature “style”. It’s the one that made a brief reappearance in my Violinist painting. Back in high school, I used to paint a lot in pretty much only the three basic primary colors: red, yellow, and blue. Technically it was a couple more than that, because I used various shades of each of those (for any paint geeks out there, the basic set is usually: ultramarine & cobalt blue, permanent rose & alizarin crimson, and cadmium medium & light yellow, plus white and dioxazine purple in place of black – which just muddies colors in my experience – for lightening/darkening). I’ve felt rather self-conscious for a while now about the fact that my paintings are kind of all over the place stylistically. I guess you could say I’m experimenting, and any good artist will experiment, but I can’t help feeling envious of artists with a unique, signature style that people can recognize as theirs. I don’t feel like I have that, at least not anymore. But this morning I felt like painting like Past Genevieve, so I did just that, and it felt lovely, that cozy, warm feeling of having a long chat with an old friend you haven’t seen in a while, but with whom you still get on very well because you’re just kindred spirits. The subject matter was all just random stuff pulled out of my inspiration folder that I thought would lend themselves well to the holy trinity of primary colors.